Script Pool
White Ship
In the thick heat of summer, as bonfires loom and a fata morgana dances on the horizon, a family reunion by the sea becomes a quiet rite of passage — where children wander, adults falter, and fleeting moments reshape what it means to come home.
On the last weekend of summer, a family gathers at a seaside house to await the arrival of loved ones returning from an around-the-world sailing trip. The younger generation of the family are preoccupied with their own problems and show little interest in the welcoming ceremony.
When the returning ship suddenly stops on the horizon, each member of the family interprets the holdup as a reflection of their own attitudes and prejudices, dismissing the strange event offhand.
Kusti (26), a charismatic sailor and the son of the skipper of the returning yacht, finds himself embroiled in a complicated relationship with Maria, a young woman drawn to his forceful character but oblivious to his deeper turmoil. Playing hide-and-seek with his heartbreak over a recent breakup, Kusti grapples with feelings of inadequacy and mistrust. Pretending to be above his own hurt, he tries to charm his way through romantic escapades and family relations, only to find himself in ever-mounting conflicts.
Anett (24), recently engaged, must confront and admit her feelings as she balances outside expectations with her own uncertainties, leading to a fateful encounter with a charming stranger with a hidden agenda. Anett’s journey reflects her internal battle, ultimately leading her to assert her need for space and clarity in her life choices.
Meanwhile, Ats (17), like an adopted son, wrestles with feelings of isolation and resentment, struggling for connection in a world where he feels like an outsider. Overwhelmed by mixed emotions on the eve of a reunion with his mother — also returning on the yacht after abandoning him for two years — he pushes away his longing with an all-encompassing condemnation. Part family, part stranger, his lack of allegiance frees him to be an unapologetically honest voice in a family shadowed by secrecy.
The atmosphere shifts when the family learns that the returning sailboat has encountered trouble. As night falls, two distinct storms approach: one from the sea, in the form of a tragic accident, and the other from within the family, where unexpressed emotions and conflicts boil over into openly devastating confrontations.
Director's and Screenwriter's note
White Ship is an ensemble drama with light comedic elements - humor that stems from the awkward roughness of communication. As an ensemble drama with no clear or obvious protagonist, the entire framework of relationships, the maze-like fabric of familial relations itself, must hold together in unison, no particular solo can be expected to carry the piece to its coda. The story centers around three characters - Ats, Anett and Kusti - with a fairly clear secondary and tertiary layer of characters in supporting roles. Even though the main characters are dealing with their own issues, the family history - the expectations and hang-ups, the unexpressed but constantly felt tensions behind things unsaid and grievances built over decades - is the whole point, quite literally the raison d’être for every choice the main characters make. It’s a strange realisation of adulthood, that what was previously experienced as personal and private is really something much larger, permeating generations - that perhaps my sadness is not truly my own, but an unspoken bond passed down and around like an inheritence of sorts. This communal sadness becomes an ever-deepening source of compassion, for everyone really. This story is a dramatisation of what we lost while being preoccupied with mourning. Sorrow is always seeking its reason. And thus, the act of mourning itself becomes a prophecy - insist on sadness and I will give you something to be sad about.
Producer's note
Teresa and I studied film together at the Baltic Film and Media School from 2016 to 2020. We are very excited to finally be at the point of presenting her debut feature film "White Ship," which is inspired by the complex family relations of Estonian families and set during the mystical holiday known as the Night of the Ancient Bonfires. The mysticism surrounding that holiday, combined with the multilayered storylines of our young adults, creates an unforgettable Estonian summer night that most of us have experienced at some point in our lives.
We have been developing the script for approximately a year and a half, during which time we have received valuable feedback from Estonian film professionals. We know the story resonates with many people and has the potential to dig its way into the hearts of local audiences, but we are now looking to receive comments and feedback from a wider region. We have received maximum support for script development in Estonia from the Estonian Film Institute and the Cultural Endowment, and we are targeting the August deadline for a Feature Film Development Grant.
Teresa Väli, age 35 (born 18.04.1989), attended the Film Arts: Directing program at the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, graduating in 2020. Arriving at film school relatively late in life (at age 27), she had previously explored a number of other avenues and interests, pursuing two alternative university degrees, Philosophy and Audiovidual Media, writing music and running a small clothing design studio. Her interest in writing sparked at age 12, through poetry, and a sudden interest in directing followed three years later, when accidentally finding herself helping put together a school play. All through high school she attended an intensive drama program, but as much as she loved being on stage, the experience made it quite clear that theatre was not her medium and acting was not her path. Still it took almost another decade to put the full picture together and arrive at film directing. During her studies she was invited to intern on a feature film doing continuity. Putting a lot of thought into what the position actually entails and how continuity could be a truly useful partner for the director, she became passionate about the job and has been a script supervisor ever since. Teresa directed 3 shorts in films school and has written and directed 1 short film after graduating. She has worked as script supervisor on 13 feature films, 4 short films, 2 TV shows and 1 narrative game.
Inger Põder is an Estonian film producer who graduated cum laude from the Baltic Film and Media School in 2020, specializing in film arts and producing. Since then, she has worked with Homeless Bob Production, one of Estonia’s leading production companies known for its bold contributions to Europe’s art house scene. She is currently developing debut feature films with rising female filmmakers.